Honeywell has formed a partnership with air emissions company Aereon to expand its IIoT interests, looking specifically in the areas of oil and gas.
They will work together to design and build a wide variety of solutions that can help companies in the oil and gas sector improve safety, efficiency and reliability.
The companies will look to capitalise on projects such as Honeywell’s existing connected plant initiative, which gives plant operators the tools they need in a bid to streamline operations.
Lucrative opportunity in IIoT space
Andrew Hird, vice president and general manager of the digital transformation business at Honeywell, said Aereon’s proven track record in the oil and gas sector will be hugely beneficial for customers
“Honeywell’s capabilities in data consolidation, cyber-security and software development, combined with the deep industry knowledge of its collaborators, including Aereon, will help customers solve previously unsolvable problems,” he said.
“These problems include eliminating unplanned shutdowns, maximising output, maintaining regulatory compliance, increasing safety and optimising supply chain strategies.”
Mark Zyskowski, senior global vice president of Aereon, said: “Aereon’s fundamental strength is its wide array of fit-for-purpose combustion and vapor recovery products supported by in-house expertise to design, manufacture and support its field-installed base.
“We are pleased to be able to bring our expertise to the IIoT ecosystem that Honeywell is developing to help customers around the globe maximise value from their operations by tapping into the power of the IIoT.”
Related: IoT-powered Duke Energy reduces customer downtime with smart grids
Important partnerships
Honeywell is already working with a plethora of ecosystem partners to help it develop products and solutions for the growing Industrial Internet of Things market.
In particular, the firm is building a simple-to-use infrastructure that provides big industry firms with the resources to capture data and turn it into advanced analytics to improve operations.
It’s created a partner ecosystem in a bid to leverage the experience and knowledge of other companies, such as leading equipment vendors and process licensors.
Leveraging data
Manufacturers and other firms in the oil and gas industry can use big data analytics for a variety of reasons. Primarily, they’re able to gain a much deeper insight into their operations.
“For years, manufacturers and producers have looked for ways to solve operational problems that were believed to be unsolvable – such as unplanned downtime, underperforming assets and inefficient supply chains,” added Hird.
“With the capabilities of the IIoT, we can find new ways to solve those problems. A key part is the creation of an industrial ecosystem that leverages the depth of knowledge and experience of a range of equipment and service providers such as Aereon.”
IoT significant in oil and gas
Ian Hughes, an IoT analyst at 451 Research, told Internet of Business: “The need to save energy and improve process efficiency and quality means Industrial IoT (IIoT) is an area of significant activity.
“Large scale industry such as Oil and Gas has always had a machine control loop of sense and respond that defines IoT. Previously this was solely within the plant but increasingly now has to interact with the wider enterprise as part of ongoing digital transformation.
“The challenge is that existing plant is installed and will last for many years. It is not rip and replace. This means a brownfield wrapper approach is often taken to deliver the IIoT function.”
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